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Gemini-3 (3)
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Crew:
Virgil I. Grissom (2), commander
John W. Young (1), pilot
Backup Crew:
Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
Thomas P. Stafford
CapCom:
L. Gordon Cooper (Cape)
Roger B. Chaffee (Houston)
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Mission Objective:
Demonstrate manned orbital flight; evaluate two-man
design. Demonstrate and evaluate tracking network. Demonstrate OAMS
capability in orbital maneuvers and in retrofire backup. Demonstrate
controlled reentry and landing. Evaluate major spacecraft subsystems.
Demonstrate systems checkout, prelaunch, and launch procedures.
Demonstrate and evaluate recovery procedures and systems. Spacecraft
weight: 3225kg.
Secondary objectives included: Evaluate flight crew equipment, biomedical
instrumentation, and personal hygiene system. Perform 3 experiments.
Evaluate low-level longitudinal oscillations (Pogo) of the GLV. General
photographic coverage in orbit.
Launch:
March 23, 1965 9:24:00.064 am EST. There was one brief hold on launch day
while a sensor on an oxidizer line was adjusted.
Orbit:
Altitude: 224km
Inclination: 33.0 degrees
Orbits: 3
Duration: 0 Days, 4 hours, 52 min, 31 seconds
Distance:
Landing:
March 23, 1965. Landing at 22deg26m North and 70deg 51min West. Miss
distance from landing zone 111.1km (60nm). Recovered by USS Intrepid. Crew
onboard in 70 min.
Mission Highlights:
All primary objectives were achieved except the controlled reentry
objective was only partially achieved. The angle of attack during reentry
was lower than expected. Secondary objectives were only partially achieved.
The personal hygiene system was only partially tested, Operating mechanism
failed on S-2 - Synergistic Effect of Zero Gravity on Sea Urchin Eggs
Experiment and the photographic coverage objective was only partially
successful because of an improper lens setting on the 16mm camera.
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